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Tune Out
by user Vtbub There is a piece today in the Los Angeles Times on women's viewership of the morning gabfests starting to decline in the critical demographic between 25-54. While it's good to see some sort of rebellion against the fluff that passes on the morning news shows, there is a deeper problem that should concern us. That's why Jennifer Satterwhite turned off the news. Until about a year ago, the 37-year-old Plano, Texas, resident used to faithfully watch the evening news in the kitchen as she prepared dinner. "I stopped mainly because they seemed to start it with bad news story after bad news story," said Satterwhite, a stay-at-home mother who is writing her first book. "It's like getting beaten in the face every night. I just don't like to end the day that way, with all the murder and kidnapping and war." Ms. Satterwhite isn't talking about disconnecting from Matt and Meredith, she talking about the only real hard look at the news on the networks, the evening news programs. Yes, those dinosaurs of another age, long pronounced as dying by some as their audience ages and the advertising of prescriptions to make you pee less often, hold your dentures on, and kill any allergy ever created. Which, by the way, still reach 20+ million viewers every night. They are shedding viewers because they aren't perky enough now? Too depressing? Ouch. Listen, the world is a complex and, in places, just not a very nice place. We are involved in a war. There are brutal things that happen, and it's not pleasant to watch. Yet, if we as a people fail to pay attention to what's going on around us, then we are doomed fail. The world is a complex place and technology has us all tied together much closer then we were a generation ago. There really, unless you are a news junkie, is no easy way to put things in enough context in a period of time on television without boring people. Yet, we must try anyway. The news is what it is, a hopefully accurate reflection of what goes on in our country and world over a period of time. For too long, we have tried to sugar coat a lot of what is on television. These are businesses and must continually find ways to keep us to watch the advertisements that keep them in business. That is just not going to change. CBS advertised heavily during the Super Bowl for having feel good stories all this week on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. Yep, more contrived feel good fluff. Fine on light days, utter crap on heavy days, and generally unwatchable period. This "news is all bad really sucks" thing isn't new, but if we can't take a few minutes out of our lives to pay attention to whats going on around us, what does that actually say about us? News and sports are the real reality shows, mainly unscripted despite all the efforts to guide it, and for better or for worse, a reflection of who we are. For that alone, maybe we should, despite the "sadness" pay a bit more attention? __NOEDITSECTION__ Category: Opinions Category: Opinions by User Vtbub Category: February 9, 2007 Category: news Opinions From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki. From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki.